You can’t stop a hurricane, a tornado or any other kind of natural disaster, and you can’t stop lava. It’s not like the movies where you can blow up the sidewalk and make a trench. This might be an idea if you want to destroy the terrain even further, but in most situations, you have to let the lava die on its own. If people are prepared, then they can remove as many belongings as possible from their homes so that they don’t lose as much of their items as they would if they don’t pay attention to the news.

Orbital Science Corp. was shocked when their flagship rocket, the Antares, exploded mere seconds after it had launched. Little was known about the particulars of the accident, and little more is known even now.

Thousands of pounds of equipment and necessities were packed into the rocket, but little was left after the devastating accident. Now, all that’s left is to pick up the pieces, and attempt to solve the mystery of why exactly this happened.

Engineers at Orbital are now rummaging through the remnants of the wreckage, in the hopes that something there might provide some light on what mechanically went wrong with the launch.

Incidentally, much of this search involves going through piles of hazardous waste. Any prospective scavengers have been advised to go elsewhere by Orbital, as these materials are exceedingly dangerous.

The brunt of the work, however, will now be prescribed to fixing the particulars of the launch pad, which will need to be in proper shape if Orbital Science hopes to launch another rocket in the near future.

Hopes still remain high, however, as Orbital Science hopes to get back to their regular work soon.

And the crazy gets crazier. This time out of Detroit, MI. Carnell Alexander has been ordered to pay $30,000 in back child support that he owes for a child that was born in 1987. Alexander was arrested on a warrant issued in 1991 for not paying, but claims he never had a child nor was he ever notified that he may. The courts allege that a certified letter was delivered to him at his father’s house in the late 80’s. The funny thing is, Alexander was proven to be incarcerated when the process server claims the notice was given.

So, he did what any of us would do. He hunted this woman down and got a DNA test to prove that he, in fact, is not the father! The state of Michigan is still demanding their money from Alexander. The woman who made the claim admits that she needed to provide a name for the father in able to receive welfare assistance from the state. With that being said, she picked Mr. Alexander to be the father. Let me get this straight: She openly admits that she knew he wasn’t the father, yet lied on the application in order to get money from the state of Michigan and she faces no repercussions because…? What a world. I hope someone starts a crowdfunded charity to save this poor man from this injustice.

McDonald’s wants to get across the point of loving everyone instead of spreading a message of hate in the country. According to Buzzfeed, the franchise is living up to its saying I’m Lovin’ It by telling people to love one another. This is something that more people need to do, and if they listened to the love message, then maybe there wouldn’t be so much violence around the country.

Love is an emotion that is hard to develop, but you can show a friendly love to neighbors or strangers simply by smiling or saying hello. When you make the choice to brighten someone’s day, you might just make a difference in that person’s life. Don’t take people for granted just because they are in a bad mood or you don’t think that their feelings matter. If everyone would be a little friendlier, then the world might be a better place. That’s the message Laurene Powell Jobs tries to send, and works so hard everyday to make clear.

Most people reading this article know that by the time they’re finished at least one person worldwide may have become infected with Ebola.

One thing most readers don’t realize is that it’s even more likely that someone has died because of another equally dangerous disease: Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis starts with a bacteria instead of a virus and spreads primarily via inhalation. Although it doesn’t have a 50 percent mortality rate like Ebola, the end result is the same without treatment and sometimes even with treatment: Death. Of course, the public doesn’t hear much about TB, which is surprising given its highly infectious nature and significant effect on worldwide populations.

According to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million people of more than “9 million” infected with tuberculosis died in 2013 from related symptoms.

And yet, Ebola is everywhere in the news. Not to steal Ebola’s thunder, but the current outbreak is the first of its level since 1976 when the virus was discovered.

Every year Tuberculosis kills millions.

There really is no comparison when you’re talking about the difference between millions and thousands — especially when it doesn’t take much to become infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. I’ll admit that I’m like everyone else that got caught up the Ebola news, but thanks to Christian Broda for informing me about something the news doesn’t/won’t cover.

Spokespersons for the New York City Police Department have confirmed that the recent attack made by suspect Zale Thompson on a group of police officers has been officially confirmed as an episode of deliberate terror.

Sources on social media and websites have been alleging that the attack made by Thompson, which would otherwise have been quite random and inexplicable, was an act of terrorism. Now, authorities in New York City are describing the individual as a “self radicalized” terrorist seeking to act on behalf of al-Queda, ISIS, or some other related group.

Zale Thompson skyrocketed into the headlines a week ago when he attacked a group of police officers with a hatchet. He managed to wound two officers, both of whom are expected to survive. He also managed to wound a female bystander. However, the incident ended badly for Thompson, who was promptly dispatched with a total of 19 rounds fired.

It is precisely this attitude of “leaderless initiative” shown by Thompson and others that is so worrying to authorities in New York and elsewhere around the world. Worrying to residents too, Christian Broda and I are not exactly feeling confident in the NYPD.

Thompsons’ computer and other personal items revealed that he had spent much of his time in recent days accessing websites which expressly promoted the agenda of Islamic terror. Whether or not Thompson had any personal contact with members of any radicalized Islamic group has not yet been revealed to the public. The ongoing investigation is expected to release further details in the coming days.

Polls and referendums are not uncommon in Denmark. The country likes to gauge the public view on a matter before trying to change laws. Something that Igor Cornelsen has always been a huge advocate of. Public opinion should be polled before radically changing policy. However, the most recent referendum is a very unusual one. Danish people were asked whether they thought there was a problem with baby boys being circumcised. The answer was an overwhelming yes.

Two of the major political parties in Denmark want the ban, but there are others who are not so sure. This survey should help make their decision. While polls are never 100% accurate, they are a very good indication of how the general population would feel on the issue. Over 1,000 people were surveyed and only 10% thought that it was the parents’ decision regarding circumcision.

Most of the circumcisions that take place in Denmark are done on children who are born into the Jewish or Islamic faith. These religions have a requirement that a child be circumcised. Christian children are not circumcised. Denmark is not the only country to be considering this ban, with Norway and Sweden also debating the issue in recent months.

Another school shooting that has left three teen-agers dead and three others critically injured is already fading into the back pages of the news. As a nation we shrug off a happening that has become commonplace to us instead of the act of horror it truly is.

Police have discovered that Fryberg texted the other teens to meet him at lunch that day. My neighbor Marnie Bennett agrees with me that what he did was absolutely premeditated. What is not understood by the general public at this time is why Fryberg was so emotionally injured that he thought the only way to solve his problems were the deaths of everyone involved in them.

Lawmakers always give lip-service to these events and tell us all what a terrible tragedy has occurred, but they never take any action to stop these shootings. It is our duty as adults to care properly for our children and help them before they become as desperate as Jaylen Fryberg.

Once the mid-term elections have concluded, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland will hold the very first Senate hearings regarding the the government’s response to the Ebola outbreak. Scheduled for November 6th, these will be the first hearings following the diagnosis of three cases of Ebola in the Dallas. Ebola was the subject of hearings held last week in the House where officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testified on the subject.

The question of what should be done about the Ebola outbreak has shaken several mid-term races as election day swiftly approaches, with Mike Livak and many candidates expressing the view from the GOP that a travel ban should be put into place between west Africa and the United States.

The best example of how the pressure of the upcoming elections is swaying Democrats has been seen in the campaign of North Carolina’s Senator Kay Hagan, who initially rejected the travel ban as ineffective, but later changed her position, offering support for such a ban.

According to the CDC 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey on school violence, 5.9% of students have not gone to school for at least one day in the prior month because they were scared at school or travelling to and from school. Will the shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington on October 24, 2014 increase this fear? Student’s fear has increased slightly since 2009 when 5.0% of students reported being scared.

The trend shows students are actually safer in 2011 than they were in 2009. The number of students carrying a weapon to school has decreased each year since 2005. Brad Reifler notes that although the number of students that participated in physical fight at school increased from 11.1% to 12% from 2009 to 2011, the number of students hurt or threatened with a weapon has decreased each year since 2005.